I've been pondering this lately -- Notes from Zarahemla Political Forum

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Date Posted: 18:08:37 08/11/05 Thu
Author: Chuck in ND
Subject: I've been pondering this lately
In reply to: KathyT 's message, "Hasn't that happened already???" on 15:29:45 08/11/05 Thu

In our family scripture reading we are reading the Gospel of John. It seems that his emphasis, both in the Gospel and his Epistles, is love. I haven't figured it all out yet, but it seems that love is a far more powerful principle than perhaps we understand--that it trumps almost (if not all) everything else. IOW, maybe we don't need to get too hung up on things like genealogy, tithing, Sunday observance, etc. IF we are loving to the depth and degree that John is trying to teach us (not a Be-My-Valentine love, but something of far greater magnitude). The love that John (and Jesus) is talking about requires sacrifice, service, produces abiding peace and knowledge and I'm not really sure what else, or how to really explain it.

Anyway, one of the things that I think is most destructive about abortion, divorce, gay agenda, etc is that it undermines and devalues love. Two people who produce a baby without the love needed to sustain him through any deformity or disease, or who just don't have the patience to be parents, or are not willing to risk death for that child (John 15:13), OK, maybe we won't condemn such a couple, but can't you see how vacant that relationship is, that there are serious gaps? How misused their act of union was if it did not increase, strengthen and sanctify their ties of love?

So, I see Deb's point--we don't want to shame or ostricize girls, but we can't be happy at such a misuse of sex. I would like to see us working so that everyone--girls, parents, their councilors and guides--work towards true, abiding, love. Rather than allowing them to cheapen and devalue love (and its components), we need to, as Kathy says, hold up the standards. Is it loving when we say it's OK to be less than they are capable of, to lower expectations out of fear of hurting feelings?

I actually have lots more to say, most of it I haven't yet found the right words for and many ideas are not yet even concrete enough to start. But I think the issue of abortion (and marriage/divorce, and a zillion other issues) has at its very foundation a false or weak love. Still pondering...

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Replies:

That is why I said... -- KathyT, 13:14:54 08/16/05 Tue